New 1,000-Metre Alaska Alpine Mixed Route
This big new line was climbed over several days at the end of April. It ends on a rarely visited summit
Over several days at the end of April, Anna Pfaff, Andres Marin and Tad McCrea made the first ascent of the south face of Mount Providence in the Alaska Range.
Their new 1,000-metre route is called Journey Through the Castle of Providence and graded WI4 M5 5.10 with steep snow. It follows a direct route to the summit. The first ascent team first spotted the line in 2024 from the Thunder Glacier.
“After a stretch of inclement weather, we were lucky to catch a narrow window and flew into the range,” Pfaff told Planet Mountain. “Conditions on the face were better than we could have hoped. Good ice, solid rock, and connected features. The lower half climbed through steep snowfields, ice , and mixed terrain, eventually leading to a rock headwall lined with huecos and chicken heads. Above, steep snow slopes and an exposed, corniced ridge finally brought us to the seldom touched summit.”
There are several reports of new routes on Providence in the American Alpine Journal, read one from 2017 here and 2005 here.
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